KEITH ANDREWS: How Bayern lead by example
It saddened me a little to see Arsene Wenger react the way he did during his pre-match press conference on Monday.
On the face of it, it looked as if he overreacted to a headline hinting he might get a two-year contract extension. With the season that Arsenal are having and, in particular, being knocked out of both domestic cups by lower league opposition, a contract extension probably isn’t too high on the board’s list of priorities — and, it would appear, certainly not on the fans’ anyway. For his part, the manager clearly felt it was a disrespectful article that was aimed at winding up an already disgruntled set of supporters.
I’ve always been a fan of Wenger and the way he conducts himself. He has revolutionised Arsenal and, in the 16 years he has been there, has transformed the way they play football — gone are the days of ‘boring, boring Arsenal’. He has produced and nurtured world-class players, even if a lot of them were subsequently sold on due to what many see as a lack of ambition on the part of the club. Wenger was also at the helm as Arsenal moved from an ageing Highbury to one of the finest stadiums in world football at the Emirates, which gives them the corporate capacity to maximise revenue.
But while I understand and agree that it was necessary to balance the books once they moved to the Emirates, Wenger seems too heavily involved in the day to day running of the football club. He needs to remember that he is the manager of this fantastic club and appreciate his reputation is now being tainted.
It’s been well documented that this season will be Arsenal’s eighth without a trophy and although the manager will point to how he has guided them to a top four finish in each season he has been there, the fans are clearly desperate for silverware — and I would be too with the prices they are paying for season tickets.
That’s why last weekend’s team selection against Blackburn Rovers was so disappointing, as it made it very evident the Champions League and the Bayern Munich match were more important to Arsenal than the FA Cup. Surely a home tie against a Championship side with progression to the quarter-final at stake, offered a much more realistic chance of silverware? Unfortunately this is where the business heads come to the fore at the Emirates, where they seem more than content to qualify for the Champions League each season as it keeps them ticking over quite nicely financially. And, yes, you get a lot more money from qualifying for the last 16 of the Champions League than you do for winning the FA Cup. But where does that leave any real ambition to win a trophy? That question is even more pointed in the aftermath of the game against Bayern, a game which showed just how far behind Arsenal are compared to the best sides in Europe.
And Bayern certainly belong in that elite bracket. The way that football club is run is a model that a lot of other clubs should look closely at. They have ex-players involved at all levels, like Karl Heinze Rummenigge and Mattias Sammer, who know the culture of the club and what it means to play for Bayern. They put a lot of time and money into producing their own talent, cherrypick the best of the rest of the Bundesliga and then meticulously buy the odd superstar like Ribery from abroad.
At the Emirates on Tuesday night, everything good about the club gelled on the pitch. They were impressive in everything they did, showing a real togetherness that possibly hasn’t always been there in the past. They reacted to losing to Chelsea last May in the final by going and buying smartly, strengthening their starting 11 with Dante, Javi Martinez and Mario Mandzukic — who we know well from the Euros. And I would be very surprised if they aren’t there or thereabouts again this season.
Not many people gave an AC Milan side that is going through a hugely transitional period much hope in their encounter with Barcelona on Wednesday evening, but they produced a fine team display to take a two-goal advantage to the Nou Camp. I’m sure Portsmouth fans were watching this game and shaking their heads with disbelief as, just a few seasons ago, the two Milan goalscorers plied their trade at Pompey, admittedly during a time when the club was clearly living beyond its means. If Barcelona really are as good as many of us believe, then they’ll have to prove it beyond all doubt in the second leg.
Meanwhile, on a personal note, my injury is coming along very nicely. This week I’ve progressed from strengthening work in the gym to running on a gravity-assisted treadmill and I’ve been outside on the grass with the physiotherapists to start some football-orientated rehabilitation. I’m confident I’ll be back very soon.
